DENVER – It’s becoming a recurring theme already this season with University of Idaho track and field – three Vandal athletes were honored as Verizon Western Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week on Tuesday.

Junior Barry Britt and senior Jeremy Klas earned the WAC Men’s Track and Field Athlete of the Week honors, respectively, while junior Liga Velvere took home the Women’s Track Athlete of the Week accolade for the week of Jan. 30-Feb. 5.

Britt, a distance runner from Hampton, New Brunswick, Canada (Georgia State), won the men’s mile run on Friday at the Vandal Indoor with a career-best time of 4:12.84. His time is six seconds faster than his previous best and leads the WAC by a 2.45-second margin.

Klas, a pole vaulter from Moscow, Idaho (Moscow HS), earned the honor for the second time this year. He cleared 17-7.25 (5.37m) in a second-place tie at the Vandal Indoor on Friday. He was the top collegiate finisher in the competition and moved into a tie for 10th nationally in the event. He followed it up with an individual win in the event on Saturday at the Idaho Indoor Open with a height of 17-5.5 (5.32m).

Velvere, a sprinter/hurdler from Saldus, Latvia (Latvian Academy of Sport Education), broke Idaho’s six-year-old school record in the 800m with a winning time of 2:07.63 on Friday at the Vandal Indoor. Her time is the fastest in the WAC this year by a three-second margin and ranks 23rd in the NCAA. Also at the meet, she ran the anchor leg of Idaho’s first-place and WAC-leading 4x400m relay that posted a time of 3:45.49.

The three awards give Idaho eight already this indoor season. Most impressive about that total is that only one – Klas – is a repeat honoree. The team has been honored three times with a men’s field honor, twice each with the men’s track and women’s track award and once with a women’s field accolade.

Britt, Klas and Velvere all figure to be back in action this weekend when the Vandals face their toughest competition yet at the Flotrack Husky Classic on Friday and Saturday, followed by the UW Open on Sunday. The meets, hosted by Washington, annually feature many of the nation’s top athletes and teams.